Anyone have experience with or knowledge about Mercedes-Benz cars?

[Killercanary]

My wife and I are looking to replace our SUV with an AWD car and we just drove a 2007 Mercedes Benz C280 4 matic. We love the car but since I've never owned a Mercedes, or any German car for that matter, I wasn't sure if there was anything to look out for, be aware of, etc. I was hoping since we have such a diverse group of enthusiast on here that someone may have some input on these cars. Every car I've ever owned has been domestic except for my wife's Mr2 spyder. I like to do all of my own maintenance on my vehicles. What I'd like to know is if there are any common problems with these cars, if they have any dealer-only maintenance requirements etc. I don't want to buy a vehicle that I can afford to purchase and end up with one that I can't afford to maintain. This is my primary concern with this car. I didn't think I'd love it as much as I do, but within the 1st mile I was hooked. I already have the car held for me and plan to purchase it as soon as tomorrow unless I find reason's why I shouldn't. I appreciate any and all input if you are familiar with these cars. Thanks!
-Paul

[biminiLX]

My good friend with a blown '95 Cobra is a MB/Audi tech back in OH, he has nothing but the best to say about MB products and 'most' Audi stuff (he doesn't like the long service intervals on the turbo motors).
If you like it go for it---is it CPO?
-J

[Killercanary]

Thanks J. What is CPO? I have heard a lot of bad things about the newer Audi stuff, that is why I haven't looked into the A4/A6 stuff, maybe I was misinformed. I have heard they are plagued with electrical problems.

[Viper_ed]

Can't go wrong with a Benz or BMW IMO, but don't count out the domestic Caddy STS4. Monica and I both really like the one I got her for Christmas. The AWD is fantastic in it and goes every bit as good as the Mark LT in the snow.

[biminiLX]

CPO=cert. pre-owned
I'm sure its still under warranty as an '07 but CPO has some nice extra coverage.
I really like Audis, test drove quite a few '00-01 S4s and '04 A6 S-lines before moving here but ending up with a 9700 mile '97 SHO which I got bored with and found my SVT Contour :)
-J

[yeahloh95]

i like the bmw 's too

[stieny]

I'm a big fan of the C series. I think its a great car for the money.

Obviously I've never owned one but I did own a VW and I loved it. It was a very reliable, good running vehicle and fit and finish was top notch. It never gave me an ounce of trouble with the exception of some warranty work that they were extremely easy to work with to get it done. I have known a lot of people that have owned German cars (Audi's, BMW's, VW's) and everyone had nothing but good things to say about them.

As far as maintenance costs are concerned, my Volkswagen wasn't bad at all. Out of all the German cars owned by my friends, the only one that was expense to maintain was my buddies M3 but that is going to be expected with those cars.

I say if you and your wife drove it and liked it, then pull the trigger.

Good luck with it. :thumbsup:

[SonofaBish]

My boss has one of the new MB C300 sport sedans and he absolutely loves it... its less powerful than his Infinity G35 sedan was, but he says he can't tell with the 7speed auto tranny....
I know that he insists on taking his car to the dealership for an oil change, etc because he says that's where you are supposed to take it.. but he's not really an automotive person, so he really doesn't know how to do it himself even if he wanted to...

Pretty good lookin' ride too!

[03 OW SVT]

My wife and i just bought an 07 Audi A4 (see sig) and i have to tell ya it is awesome.:thumbsup: I did some research on it before we bought it to see what owners had to say about them. Out of 7 pages i read on Edmunds.com there were only 5 people that were not satisfied. I don't remember reading anything about electrical problems with Audis.

P.s No matter what German car you buy you will love how they feel on the road. Our Audi is a drivers car.:veryhappy:

[SonofaBish]

My wife and i just bought an 07 Audi A4 (see sig) and i have to tell ya it is awesome.:thumbsup: I did some research on it before we bought it to see what owners had to say about them. Out of 7 pages i read on Edmunds.com there were only 5 people that were not satisfied. I don't remember reading anything about electrical problems with Audis.

P.s No matter what German car you buy you will love how they feel on the road. Our Audi is a drivers car.:veryhappy:
I've heard a lot about electrical problems as well.. My boss' girlfriend has an A4.. as well as a good friend of mine's wife.... they both had to have expensive repair jobs done to the windows because the just quit working out of the blue....

My friend told me that its a common thing with teh Audi's....

personally - i'd deal with a possible window issue if it meant purchasing a S5 :)

[03 OW SVT]

I've heard a lot about electrical problems as well.. My boss' girlfriend has an A4.. as well as a good friend of mine's wife.... they both had to have expensive repair jobs done to the windows because the just quit working out of the blue....

My friend told me that its a common thing with teh Audi's....

personally - i'd deal with a possible window issue if it meant purchasing a S5 :)

I just hope if we have electrical problems it will happen under warranty.

I like the S5's also:thmbsup:

[KBCobra]

Guy I work w/ has an 05 e350 i believe. He loves it. Only issue he ever had was something w/ the battery. I guess these cars have a seperate battery just to power all the misc options these cars have. I know he said it's incredible in the snow with the awd

[Christine57]

I owned a 2003 C320 Sport. I bought it used with 11K on it and it was certified used through Mercedes which added 2 more years for warranty. After about a month the car had a slight miss with check engine light on, took it to get checked and all they did was reflash the computer with new updates. This went on once a month and then I noticed a noise from underneath car and said hmmmm, a miss, check engine light and now a noise centered around the cat. Well, 3 weeks later it left me stranded on the highway,(after I took it back to dealer and asked them to check the cat, just humor me) called for road side assistance waited on hold for 20 min. So I called a tow truck myself. Towed out to dealer. Low and behold the catalytic converter broke apart at 12,135 miles! I traded it in due to the fact at 12K the cat went, and the miss was still there. And, their customer service dept. really sucks! BUT, the car had alot of options and did hold a curve at 85mph.

[03 OW SVT]

Just want to add the interiors are top notch in the German cars.

[Rio94gt]

Paul, my mom owned a Mercedez 2004 C230 4 Matic which was the year before they came out with the C280 4 Matic. Her new car is a 2008 BMW 328Xi. I have driven them both. Both are awsome in the snow with the AWD. The Mercedez was severly under powered but the model you drove does have more horsepower. Also the BMW has a much tighter and sportier feel than the Mercedez. I prefer the BMW. They are both in the same price range so i think it would be worth your while to drive a comparible BMW.

[AdamantiumSilvr]

Don't know to much about'em other than they can get quite pricey and they're SICKK!!!

[badf250]

I currently own a Jetta and am fairly happy with it. very solid built car for it price range. As for the Audi A4, I probably buy a VW Passat 4 motion first as it is almost the same car for less $$. They all tend to be more expensive to repair than an American car though and sometimes you have a hard time getting parts for them as well.
Mercedes Benz cars seem to be built well as we have some customers with them, but their interior stylingis not really to my likeing. We do have a customer with an ML55AMG that is a total POS that constantly has problems from brakes, front end parts to power windows goign bad.

As to BMW's they drive really well, but I havent been overly impressed with them relyability wise as some of our customers have 7 series that have had some stupid problems with them.

[Troll]

Paul, did you buy it? pics !!! :laughing1:

[Shadowstealth]

why awd? personally i love toyotas... theres a lot you can do to a toyota... and get the things you maybe looking for... check some yotas out!

[2001GTTT]

Guy I work w/ has an 05 e350 i believe. He loves it. Only issue he ever had was something w/ the battery. I guess these cars have a seperate battery just to power all the misc options these cars have. I know he said it's incredible in the snow with the awd

my boss has the same car, two batteries replaced by Smail Mercedes = $700. fun fun.

[biminiLX]

why awd? personally i love toyotas... theres a lot you can do to a toyota... and get the things you maybe looking for... check some yotas out!
seriously....he's looking at a MB and you suggest a Toyota :rofl:
And AWD is a great option around here, definitely would want might wife in one too.
-J

[Killercanary]

Paul, did you buy it? pics !!! :laughing1:

No, I passed on it. The price was right at $20K, but after finding out that the insurance would be $350 more per year over what I pay now for my ford edge and that at a minimum the annual service cost for the required stuff would be an additional $400 I decided it wasn't for me. I also checked the VIN with MB and I found out that it had already been in for 3 warrantied service calls and had one still outstanding for a pilot bushing. (this puzzled me though as its an auto) Both the MB service manager and a fellow SCCA racer that runs a garage that specializes in German cars also talked me out of it after I described to them my situation and concerns.



Why AWD? That's an easy one. Have you ever traveled Rt 22 in the winter time over Cresson mountain? If you have then you know why I need it. If I lived in Pittsburgh I could manage without it but there is no way to do that out here. As J mentioned too, this is/will be my wife's daily driver in the winter months so I want her to be in the safest vehicle I can get, and one that she is less likely to be stranded or get stuck in.



I also drove a ford 500 AWD the same day as the MB, and although it was nearly $7K cheaper, I wouldn't drive it if it was given to me. I'm regretting the decision to even drive the MB now as I have a new standard, and one that I fear will not be met with a non-german offering.

Here's a list of AWD cars that I can think of off the top of my head. Does anyone know of any others? I can not go any smaller than the MB though as I need room for 2 car seats, one will be rear facing too.

-ford 500/taurus/montego/sable AWD
-fusion/merc version AWD (may be too small)
-BMW 3 series with X drive
-MB C class with 4matic
-Audi A4 quattro
-VW passat with 4motion
-I know dodge and chrysler offer AWD version of their larger sedans but they are of no interest to me, as well as the avenger
-Infinity G35X
-lexus is250 AWD

Am I missing anything? Ideally I want something at $20K or less and with a warranty.

[SonofaBish]

Subaru WRX... STi or non-STi... Its no replacement for a MB or BMW, but i can vouch that the AWD system in even a regular WRX is crazy good....

I think you should be able to pick up a nice WRX for pretty cheap - but like i said, you're still not going to get the luxury that the MB, BMW, or Infinity have....
maybe Acura has something in AWD?

[Killercanary]

I personally like the WRX, but its way too small. A WRX isn't much bigger than my focus and that is just way too small to serve as the "family" vehicle. My wife and I drove a legacy 2.5GT when they first came out and although I liked it, she did not. Everyone I know with a subaru loves them, but they pretty much all tell me that they are only comfortable on short trips. Any extended time behind the wheel of them makes for one miserable ride. They fault the seats and their position for this, not the actual suspension.

I'm not sure about Acura, off the top of my head I can not think of an AWD car from them other than the expensive RL.

[cam303]

How about a Lincoln MKZ

[Christine57]

I would also look at the Acura MDX, or RDX. In fact, drive everything! That's what I did.

[somethingclever]

How about a Lincoln MKZ



Now those are nice cars :goodidea:

[03 OW SVT]

I personally like the WRX, but its way too small. A WRX isn't much bigger than my focus and that is just way too small to serve as the "family" vehicle. My wife and I drove a legacy 2.5GT when they first came out and although I liked it, she did not. Everyone I know with a subaru loves them, but they pretty much all tell me that they are only comfortable on short trips. Any extended time behind the wheel of them makes for one miserable ride. They fault the seats and their position for this, not the actual suspension.

I'm not sure about Acura, off the top of my head I can not think of an AWD car from them other than the expensive RL.

The Legacy GT's are awesome. We had an 05 GT limited and drove it to North Carolina and were very comfy. Its good in the snow unless you have summer (performance) tires on it and then its like driving a mustang in the snow. It sucked even with the AWD.

[somethingclever]

How about an AWD CTS?

(Trying to keep you in an American car... :) )

[TJH64]

That is too bad about the Benz, they certainly are a nice car. I can understand after driving that , how other cars just don't stack up. I can, however, vouche for one of the cars on your list-the Infiniti G35x. I bought my wife a brand new 06 a little over 2 years ago, and I highly recommend giving this car a look, do some research on it. As a fellow car enthusiast, I would bet that you would be impressed with the features and the performance this car is capable of.

Her is a link to one of the used ones at Cochran Infiniti

http://www.cochraninfiniti.com/used-inventory/vehicle-details.htm?vehicleId=5f153ec84046381e004ad14ccb16 57d1&useHistory=true

[mustang50lx]

I would personally go with the Lexus.. I would also personally steer clear of European cars. We work on alot of European cars and sometimes we can't get info to repair them. We can't even align some of them. The Lexus will probably hold its value better than most of the others. Audi, Volvo, Mercedes, Land Rover, ect, are all have a high maintenance cost.

[Viper_ed]

Hey Paul, I only paid $22k for out STS4. It's an 05 with 31k miles on it and has every option except for the heads up display and adaptive cruise control. Just because they go for $60k+ new, don't let that make you think you can't get one for around $20k.

[biminiLX]

That is too bad about the Benz, they certainly are a nice car. I can understand after driving that , how other cars just don't stack up. I can, however, vouche for one of the cars on your list-the Infiniti G35x. I bought my wife a brand new 06 a little over 2 years ago, and I highly recommend giving this car a look, do some research on it. As a fellow car enthusiast, I would bet that you would be impressed with the features and the performance this car is capable of.

Her is a link to one of the used ones at Cochran Infiniti

http://www.cochraninfiniti.com/used-inventory/vehicle-details.htm?vehicleId=5f153ec84046381e004ad14ccb16 57d1&useHistory=true
Definitely drive one if you haven't Paul, I was very impressed and would defintely drive one everyday.
I also just wanted to add that you mentioned the Ford 500 and I would try the new AWD Taurus replacement first---the 3.5/6-speed is way better than the POS 500s 3.0/CVT drivetrain.
Good luck, I'm sure you'll make a good buy.
-J

[Rodeheaver's]

Buy an r32 FTW!!!!

[Killercanary]

Chris- I looked at a MKZ today. Its not bad, but my wife isn't loving it.

Ed- I looked in a 200 mile radius and didn't find any. The ones I did find were in the $30K range.


Definitely drive one if you haven't Paul, I was very impressed and would defintely drive one everyday.
I also just wanted to add that you mentioned the Ford 500 and I would try the new AWD Taurus replacement first---the 3.5/6-speed is way better than the POS 500s 3.0/CVT drivetrain.
Good luck, I'm sure you'll make a good buy.
-J

A local dealer has two brand new 2008 Taurus AWD's for a smoking deal. One is $21K and the other is $22K. I just can't picture myself driving one. My favorite car is a G35 coupe, maybe I'll look into the G35X even though they look nothing a like.

Tim- I like the R32 but I need 4 doors.


I LOVE the look of the lexus is250, but they are pricey in the used car market.


I am blown away by the fact that AWD sedans are more expensive than SUV's.

[03 OW SVT]

Chris- I looked at a MKZ today. Its not bad, but my wife isn't loving it.

Ed- I looked in a 200 mile radius and didn't find any. The ones I did find were in the $30K range.



A local dealer has two brand new 2008 Taurus AWD's for a smoking deal. One is $21K and the other is $22K. I just can't picture myself driving one. My favorite car is a G35 coupe, maybe I'll look into the G35X even though they look nothing a like.

Tim- I like the R32 but I need 4 doors.


I LOVE the look of the lexus is250, but they are pricey in the used car market.


I am blown away by the fact that AWD sedans are more expensive than SUV's.

Probably because people are getting rid of there suv's and wanting to go with AWD sedans and dealers know this....I'm guessing

[2001GTTT]

very nice choice!

[Killercanary]

Well, I think I'm picking this car up on Monday. I took if for an hour test drive tonight and really liked it. Its a 2006 with 18K miles on it. I'm going to keep looking for a 2007 since they underwent a redesign that year, but if I don't find one I'm going to get this.

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/617/14132/280675.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/617/14132/280676.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/617/14132/280677.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/617/14132/280678.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/617/14132/280679.jpg

http://www.mustangmods.com/ims/u/617/14132/280682.jpg

[biminiLX]

Nice looking car Paul.
-J

[Killercanary]

Nice looking car Paul.
-J

Thanks! I found two '07's as well as an M35X that I'm going to look at today so the one above may not be mine after today. The G is a little small for us so the M may better fit the bill.

[biminiLX]

The sales man had me drive an M45 after driving the G---G is sportier but they were both nice and I'd def. drive either.
Did you play with the sport stick?--it has rev match downshifts and I think will hold until redline. Hard to remember but I liked it.
That color combo is nice above.
-J